Shattered
by wannabewriter07
Summary: Morgan and Greg decide to start a romantic relationship, but will one moment change everything?
1. Chapter 1

"Shit, that stings." Greg winced pulling his head away from Morgan's hands as she cleaned a cut on his forehead with antiseptic alcohol.

"Hold still. I'm almost done," she said. She stood in front of Greg as he sat in the back of the Denali with the first aid kit opened beside him. He had been dumpster diving for evidence and got a gash on his head when the edge of a cut piece of glass met skin. He still pulled back when Morgan leaned forward with the soaked cotton ball. She groaned at his stubbornness.

"Here," she said, placing his hands on either side of her hips as she leaned in again, hoping that it would help steady him. He became very still as she finished cleaning and dressing the wound.

"There. All done. That wasn't so bad, was-" The movement of his hands from her hips to her waist caught her off guard. She looked down at him realizing, in the position she was standing, her breasts were right in his sightline. His hands moved to graze her lower back as he looked up at her speechless form. He gently pulled her down until they were eye to eye, noses almost touching.

"Thank you," he whispered, staring into her eyes, desire burning in his own.

"You're a terrible patient." The sweet breath from her words lingered on his mouth.

"That's because patience has never been one of my strengths," he countered, brushing his lips against hers. She fell into the kiss, deepening it. He pulled her with him, lips locked, as he lowered his back onto the floorboard. He had begun running his hands up her spine when her phone rang. They paused, frozen in position, until she relented and pushed herself up, answering her phone.

"Morgan Brody," she said into the receiver as she walked away from the car, leaving Greg sitting on the edge of the Denali's trunk with his feet on the asphalt. He watched her pace back and forth as she talked, tucking her hair behind her ears. He smiled replaying what had just happened again in his head. He had finally kissed her and, damn, if it didn't feel good.

"That was Russell. We need to get back to the lab. Family meeting regarding the case," she said approaching the car. Greg stood up and brush off his jeans before bringing down the back door.

"Let's go." He turned to walk to the driver's side, keys swinging on his finger, when she grabbed his wrist. He stopped and looked at her.

"Greg, about earlier. What was that?" she asked, her eyes searching his. He moved closer to her, allowing only a small space to separate them.

"What do you want it to be?" He took her hand that was holding his and interlocked their fingers, his eyes holding her contemplating stare. She sighed and turned away, letting go of his hand.

"I don't know. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Let's go." She moved away from him heading towards the passenger door.

"Morgan, wait!" He ran ahead of her leaning on the car door, blocking her escape. "What do you mean maybe this isn't a good idea? Do you want to take this farther?"

"Greg, we work together. This isn't going to end well, and then we will be stuck awkwardly trying to avoid each other until one of us decides to transfer."

"What makes you think this won't end well?"

"Have you ever had a relationship that did?" He took a step away from the vehicle, pondering her question. She seized the opportunity to open the car door and slide in, shutting him out for the time being. He stood outside her door a moment longer before getting into the driver's seat and starting the car. They drove in silence back to the station, Morgan watching the city and Greg's reflection from glass in the passenger window.

Although they stood on opposite sides of Russell's office, Morgan could feel the heat from Greg's glare as she watched her supervisor, trying her best to concentrate on the case. She breathed a sigh of relief when Russell dismissed them, grateful for the chance for some space. She started walking down the hall when she felt him beside her.

"We need to talk." She looked at him as he motioned to a nearby room. They walked into the shadowy room and Greg shut the door behind them. Morgan found a switch and flipped on a dim red light. They were in the darkroom, dusty from disuse.

He faced her, running his fingers through his hair. "This is torture. It's going to continue to be torture for me if something doesn't happen. I know you felt something when I kissed you. I know this attraction is mutual, but unlike you, I can't ignore it anymore." He closed in on her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I'll transfer if you want. It's the only way I'll be able to get you out of my mind."

He kissed her forehead, pausing for a moment. Then he turned to leave.

"Greg, wait." She put her arms around him, resting her body against his back. "I don't want you to go." The vibration of her soft voice on his neck send a shiver down him. Greg turned, enveloping Morgan in a hug. He whispered in her ear.

"Morgan, what _do_ you want?" At that moment, she wanted him, all of him. She brought her hands to the nape of his neck and pulled him down, eye level with her.

"This," she breathed as she kissed him. She pulled back to gauge his reaction. He kissed her back, hungrily and with force. She took a step backward, her backside meeting the end of a table. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted her and sat her on the edge of it. He slid her jacket off, tracing her collar bone with his thumb. His lips made their way down her neck as she wrapped her legs around him pulling him closer. Suddenly, a bright light fell upon them as someone opened the door.

"Oh, sorry," a guy from the swing shift created a shadow in the doorway. "Sanders? Is that you?"

"Get out," Greg yelled, resting his head on Morgan's shoulder. When the door shut, he looked up at her smiling. "I should take you out on a real date without any interruptions before we take this further."

"Agreed," she said, returning the smile.

Morgan stood in front of the mirror, pulling back her hair while turning her head before letting it fall around her shoulders again. She was busy perfecting her reflection when the doorbell rang, making her jump. Greg had somehow arranged for both of them to have night off, setting up a time for their first date. She had known him for years now and hell, had even kissed him, but she still felt nervous. She opened the door. He stood in front of her in a handsome black suit with a bouquet of roses in hand. But it was his expression when he saw her that made her heart beat a little faster.

His mouth dropped as he took her in. She wore a little red dress that outlined all her assets with her blonde hair falling in waves around her face. It was an angelic view.

He licked his lips before he spoke. "Wow! I hope this date lives up to that outfit, because you look phenomenal." She took the flowers from him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"If you planned it, I'm sure it will exceed all my expectations." She shut the door and grabbed his hand leading him to his car.

The hostess sat them at cozy table next to a large panel window that showcased all of Vegas' bright lights from a bird's eye view.

"God, Greg, this view is beautiful," she remarked as he stood behind her pushing in her chair.

"I told you. Nothing beats Vegas at night." He inched his seat closer to hers as he sat down. The ambiance of the restaurant was high class and very romantic. The waiter brought them a bottle of wine as they searched the menu.

"Well, if all your first dates are like this, I have no idea why you were single," she flirted, sipping on her glass of merlot. He ran his hand over her other hand that laid on the table.

"You are the only girl I have ever met that deserved a first date like this," he said. They placed their orders and spend the rest of the dinner chatting about aspects of their personal lives they so rarely got the chance to share on the job. The evening passed quickly, as if time stood still, and before Morgan knew it, Greg was standing on her porch saying goodnight. He leaned in to kiss her goodbye, but she put her finger to his mouth, stopping him.

"I'm not ready to say goodbye yet," she told him as she guided him into her apartment. Once inside, she kissed him as they began to undress each other, leaving a trail of clothes from the door to the bedroom.

Greg woke up the next morning to the sight of Morgan's bare back, her smooth skin illuminated by the glow of the morning sun filtering in through the shades. He ran his lips up her spine and down her shoulder, stirring her from slumber.

"Morning gorgeous." His husky voice filled her ear. She turned and smiled at him as he kissed her. "I could get used to waking up like this." He put his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I want you to know that you are the only guy I have ever met that deserved to end a first date like that," she said. He buried his face into the crevice of her neck, taking in her scent.

"So worth the wait," he mumbled into her skin. "And the best part: no interruptions." She laughed as she closed her eyes, feeling safe and comfortable in his embrace.

The first three months of their whirlwind romance seemed to fly by until that day in the locker room. Morgan stood in front of her locker gathering her things to go home.

"Looks like the coast is clear," she heard him whisper in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. She turned smiling and gave him a kiss.

"You are especially cheerful tonight. You hoping to get lucky?" she teased.

"Always," he responded. "But actually, I have some great news. I got offered a job promotion."

"What? Greg, that's great. What is it?"

"Well, that's the thing. It's a position for an assistant lab director, but it's in San Fransisco. The pay is great and I'll get to see my family more often." She pulled back, studying him, letting his words sink in.

"What about us, Greg?"

"I thought we could try long distance for a while. Just for a few months and then maybe we can talk about setting up something more permanent for our future." He saw her face fall, hurting his heart. "Morgan," he continued softly. "We've only been together a couple of months. I didn't think it would be fair to ask you to uproot your whole life just because I got a job offer. We can make this work though. Plus, you'll get to meet my parents. My mom is dying to meet you." Her expression remained somber and tears begin brimming her eyes.

"I knew this was a bad idea. I knew one of us would get hurt," she said walking past him out of the locker room.

"Morgan!" He followed her into the parking lot. She ignored him, tears now streaming down her face, as she got in her car and started the engine. He opened the passenger side and hopped in right before she could drive away. She gripped the steering wheel and kept her eyes focused on the road as she headed out onto the street. "Morgan," he repeated. "I never meant to hurt you. I want to be with you still. We can make this work."

She stopped at a red light and turned to him. "I wasn't talking about me when I said someone would get hurt. Greg, I have-"

"Morgan, look out!" Greg grabbed the steering wheel to try to veer the car out of the way of an oncoming truck that crossed the median. The impact made everything appear in slow motion. The shaking of the car as it was being hit. The rain of glass that poured upon them. The crunching sound of metal bending, glass shattering. Then all faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

Greg woke up. His head throbbed as if it had split in two. It took him a few minutes to orient himself with his surroundings. Seeing the sterile white of the walls, he dawned on him that he was in a hospital and then he remembered the car accident and Morgan. Morgan! Where was she? He begin to panic. A nurse walked in.

" You're awake," she smiled. Greg looked at her.

"Morgan? The other passenger in car? Is she…is she okay?" Greg asked stumbling over his words.

"Whoa! Calm down. They are running tests on her now. I'll have the doctor come in to clear you so you can go check on her, okay?"

Greg nodded, relief washing over him. She was alive.

About twenty minutes later, an impatient Greg made his way to Morgan's hospital room. He stood at the doorway taking in the sight of her.

She laid in the hospital bed sleeping, bruises and cuts covering the left side of her face and bridge of her nose. Her eyes were black and swollen, and her left arm laid in a cast by her side. Ecklie sat in a chair by her bedside, hunched over, his face looking worn and defeated.

"How is she?" Greg asked the nurse on her way out the room.

"Are you the husband?" she asked. Ecklie glanced in Greg's direction and then turned his attention back to Morgan.

"No, that's her coworker who was with her in the accident," he told the nurse, his eyes still focused on Morgan. Greg stared at him, angry about the dismissal.

"Actually, I'm the boyfriend." He told the nurse loud enough for Ecklie to hear. Ecklie looked up at him now, but he didn't seem mad, just surprised.

"Hell, it all makes sense now," he said. He motioned to the chair beside him. "Greg, sit down. I need to talk to you."

Cautiously, Greg made his way to Morgan's bedside. Seeing her up close broke his heart. She seemed so small, so frail. He stood beside her, gently running his hand down her cheek. "Is she going to be okay?" he whispered, afraid of the answer.

"She has some fractures and bruises, but she should be fine. She was very lucky. You both were."

Greg couldn't take his eyes off of her weak figure laying so still. He felt his knees buckling as Ecklie helped him sit in the empty chair.

"How much of her past has Morgan told you about?" he asked him.

"Some I guess. We've only been together a few months. A lot still hasn't come up yet. Why?" Greg's response was almost automated, he couldn't think about anything but Morgan in her weakened state.

"Did she ever tell you about what happened when she was in high school?" Ecklie continued questioning. Greg turned to look at him now. What the hell was wrong with this guy? His daughter was laying broken in front of him, having just in a bad car accident, and he wanted to reminisce?

"No, why? What happened in high school? Why does that matter now?" Greg could hear the anger rising in his voice.

Ecklie studied him and then sighed before continuing.

"Just listen, okay. Morgan had it rough after the divorce. She wanted to rebel, to get back at me and her mother. She partied, she drank, she smoked, and she dated this asshole named Michael. Well, about three months shy of her high school graduation, she called me, which she never did, to tell me that she was pregnant. I blew up at her, threaten to kill him, you know, the works. I remember crying that night. I felt like such a failure as a dad. About five months into her pregnancy, she lost the baby. The doctor then told her she would probably never carry a child to full term. It was awful. She turned away from me completely after that. She was angry and bitter at me, her mother, Michael, and just the whole damn world. But I think she realized later it was a blessing in disguise. She got to go to college, grow up, and eventually meet you, I guess."

Greg listened dumbfounded. His eyes turned to Morgan, not believing it was the same girl her father was talking about. How did he not know? How could she have never told him?

"I had no idea. I honestly don't know what to say; except, why are you telling me all of this now?" Greg asked. He felt like he had been punched in the gut. All the soreness and pain he felt from the wreck seemed to hit him all at once as his emotional state withered.

"Greg," Ecklie said,"Morgan's pregnant." Greg felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room as he exhaled a breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

"Oh God," he said, burying his head in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. "For how long? Is he or she okay? Do they know what it is?" He rambled into the folds of his fingers letting everything sink in.

"According to the doctor, it is still really early. He said she was probably ten weeks along. So far, by some miracle, all the scans are showing the baby is okay despite the wreck. I honestly don't know if she knows or not or how she is going to take it, knowing her past. I just thought you should know everything before she wakes up and before you get too excited. She is still so weak, and I don't think I can take seeing her get that upset again. It almost completely broke me the first time." Ecklie tried to wipe the tears discreetly from his eyes. "I have to go," he said standing up to leave. "I trust you will do right by her, Sanders. Don't make me regret it."

"Of course I will." Greg sat up and looked Ecklie in the eye, his voice growing hoarse.

Greg sat by her bedside for another hour, feeling numb, before she began to stir. She could barely open her eyes, but she felt his presence.

"Greg, is that you?" she asked through swollen lips. He lightly stroked her hair as he pulled up closer to her.

"Yeah, baby. It's me," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a truck ran over me. How are you?" she said, her words sounding scratchy.

"I'm fine. Just a fractured rib, a slight concussion, and some bruises," he responded. He took a breath. He knew it was now or never. "Morgan, I talked with your dad. He told me about your teenage pregnancy." He paused, breathing deeply again. "He also said you're pregnant now. Did you know?" He watched her flinch at the accusation. "How could you not tell me?"

She felt the tears burning in her puffy eyes. She was almost grateful she couldn't see the look on his face, certain it must have matched the pain in his voice.

"Greg, I wanted to tell you. There were so many moments where I almost did, but I just couldn't get the words out. They were just stuck there in my throat, suffocating me. So, I kept putting it off, waiting for the decision to be made for me, to see if I'd even be able to give birth. But when you told me about your new job and I saw how excited you were, it felt like history repeating. All those bad memories came flooding back." She started sobbing. "You have to understand. Michael was my first. I really thought I loved him and that he loved me. He had this full scholarship to a great college, but he gave it up to be with me and the baby until… you know. He blamed me. I know he did, and I couldn't argue with him because I blamed me too. I ruined his whole future. We broke up after that, and I have been avoiding him and my past every since. I don't want that to be us. I don't want you to resent me. I don't want to hurt you."

Greg sat next to her on the bed and gathered her in his arms. He rested his chin on top on her head, feeling her whole body shaking. He ran his hands down her back, trying to calm her.

"Morgan, I'm not eighteen years old and stupid. I'm not going to leave you. None of that was your fault. This is our baby. We're in this together."

" You don't know what it's like, Greg. I hope you never do," she said catching her breath. "I don't know if we will survive this if it doesn't go well, especially knowing everything you are giving up."

"Listen to me, Morgan. Jobs come and go, but girls like you only come once in a lifetime. I'm not leaving you," he said, rocking her gently. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I love you Morgan."


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you want to know the sex?" the ultrasound technician asked as she maneuvered the scanning device over Morgan's bare belly.

Greg said yes at the same time that Morgan responded with a no. They shared a look.

"You don't want to know?" Greg asked. "Come on, Morgan. The suspense is killing me." She laughed at his impatience causing the fetus on the small black and white screen to move about.

"No, that's half the fun. Besides, if you know you will want to start discussing names and I'm not ready for that yet," she said. There was a moment of silence. The night before she finally told Greg about the first baby, a boy she had named Matthew. Her mother had given her a blanket with his name embroidered on it as an early baby gift. The only time she was able to hold him she had wrapped his small lifeless body in it. She later buried him with it, never wanting to see it again.

"Ok," he agreed, "it will be a surprise." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and smiled.

The conversation from the night before had started when Greg tried to get Morgan interested in registering for baby gifts. She had been sitting on the couch watching a movie when he came up beside her holding his laptop.

"Look at this," he pointed to the screen. On it was a picture of a deluxe jogging stroller. "This would be awesome. We should register for this and I saw the coolest monitor system. And check this-".

"Greg," she cut him off, "Isn't it a little early to be registering for baby stuff? I mean shouldn't we wait until it's closer to time."

He set the computer down on the coffee table and turned to face her. "Morgan, you always stop me when I start talking about the baby. You won't even consider discussing names with me." He took a deep breath, softening his voice. "I know it was hard on you the first time. I can't even imagine what that was like. But I feel like I'm the only one who's excited about this, and it's kind of a lonely feeling." She sighed and leaned into him resting her head on his shoulder.

"I know. I'm sorry," she whispered wiping away tears. "I'm excited too. Really. I'm so happy about having this baby it scares me." She ran her hands over her small bump. "I feel like the more I get into planning and letting myself enjoy this that I'm just setting myself up for a disaster, one I should have been prepared for."

"Morgan, I'm sorry," he said gently as he brushed a stray tear from her face with his thumb. "Maybe talking about it will help. Maybe even ease your fears. I don't want you to miss out on all this just because you're scared something will go wrong. What if everything goes right? You'll be angry with yourself that you didn't enjoy this time more."

She looked in his eyes and smiled. "Maybe you're right. Give me the computer and let's go shopping."

"That's my girl," he said handing her the laptop. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in as she browsed the website pointing out the things she liked.

Later, as they laid in bed, Morgan told him all about her ordeal. It all came rushing out after being held in for so long. Exhausted from remembering, she fell asleep crying softly into his chest.

Hearing Morgan talk about losing her little boy had sent his mind reeling. He hated seeing her so broken and hopeless. When she had gone to sleep, he purchased everything she had picked out on the registry that was available. Before her doctor's appointment the next day, Greg did everything he could to keep her out of the house that they had recently begun sharing. He made Sara take Morgan to lunch and get pedicures, telling her to stall as long as possible. While Sara had Morgan held hostage, Greg set out to put everything together in the nursery. His goal was accomplished in a mere four hours with some help from his coworkers, Henry and Hodges. Greg thanked them on their way out as he hurried to meet Morgan at the doctor. He was determined to cheer Morgan up and change her perspective.

He covered her eyes as she walked into the spare bedroom turned nursery. When he removed his hands, she gasped taking it all in. She moved around the room quietly running her hand over the edge of the white crib and then over the armrest of the matching rocking chair. She turned to him.

"You did all this? How? When?" she asked stunned. He shrugged giving her a sly smile. "You're crazy, you know that?" she laughed as she sat in the rocking chair.

"Only about you," he said kneeling beside her. "Morgan, I wish I could take away all your pain, all those terrible memories, but since I can't, I wanted to give you a place to imagine making new ones, happy ones. I want you to be able to see yourself sitting here in this chair rocking our child to sleep, knowing everything will be okay." He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a diamond ring. "And I want you to be wearing this while you do that. I want you to be my wife. What do you think?" Still kneeling, he slipped the ring on her finger as she stared at him, mouth agape.

"Oh my God, Greg," she said. "Yes!" She nodded smiling as she grabbed at his shirt pulling him in for a kiss as he leaned over her.

Their wedding had been a small affair with just a few close friends and family. Morgan was almost seven months into her pregnancy then. Greg's enthusiasm over the past few months had been infectious to the point where she didn't worry much about complications or what had happened in her past. She was just happy. Happy to be married to a man she adored, thrilled to be carrying his child, and excited about what their future held.

It was just a week after their wedding when Morgan woke up feeling ill. She had a fever and was nauseous. She spent the next few hours leaning against the toilet trying to prevent the next wave of vomiting. It wasn't until her water broke and her pajamas pants were soaked that she realized the intense cramps weren't just the cause of a stomach bug. She was in labor.

Greg had gone into work before her, letting her sleep. He didn't even realize anything was wrong until she called him, sobbing incomprehensibly into the phone. Instinctually, he knew. He told her he would meet her at the hospital and then hung up and called to make sure an ambulance was on its way to pick up Morgan.

Driving to the hospital, he cursed the traffic and prayed to a deity he had long forgotten all in the same breath. It took over an hour for him to navigate through the roads and then through the halls of the hospital as he raced to the maternity ward.

"Where's Morgan Brody's room?" he demanded when he reached the nurse's station. Her name change hadn't even had time to take effect. It was hard to believe less than two weeks ago they had been saying their vows and now here they were testing them. The nurse pointed to a quiet room across the hall. Greg approached it apprehensively, sensing by the silence that it wasn't going to be good. She laid on the bed in a fetal position, her back to him. A nurse stood behind her checking her vitals.

"Morgan?" he whispered as he sat on the bed beside her stroking her hair. He could hear her now, softly crying. She responded without moving, without looking at him.

"They took her away, Greg. I didn't even get to hold her." Her voice was barely audible. "As soon as she was born, they crowded around her and whisked her away. I don't know anything. I don't even know if she's alive."

"It's a girl?" He was in shock, absorbing the information. There was a light knock on the door. Morgan sat up looking at the doctor in the doorway, avoiding eye contact with Greg as she did.

"She's stable right now. They have in the NICU. She's three pounds and four ounces. It's still very early, but for right now, the prospect of survival looks good. Her lungs are working but not at full capacity yet, so she is on a ventilator until she grows stronger. As long as no other complications arise, I think in a few months you will be able to take her home," he told them.

"She's alive?" Morgan smiled and hugged Greg who welcomed her in his arms. The doctor returned the smile.

"Yes," he responded. Morgan's demeanor changed quickly; it was impossible for her to hide her relief.

"Can we see her?"she asked.

The NICU nurse led them into the isolated hospital nursery. Greg drew in a sharp breath as he took in the sight of the tiny creature in the incubator with small tubes running from it in all directions. He ran his hand along the clear plastic covering, letting it rest on a piece of taped on paper which read: Baby Girl Sanders. He choked back a sob as he turned to look at Morgan who stood frozen by the entrance, her face drained of blood and emotion. She looked like she had seen a ghost. That was when he realized she was reliving her nightmare.


End file.
